An identity management system refers to an information system, or to a set of technologies that can be used for enterprise or cross-network identity management. Identity management describes the management of individual identities, their authentication, authorization, roles and privileges within or across system and enterprise boundaries.
Since the attacks on 9/11 and numerous high-profile identity thefts and breaches, federal, state and local governments, as well as private corporations and organizations, have significantly increased spending on identity-related programs worldwide. These programs and initiatives make up a larger marketplace increasingly referred to as “Identity Management and Credentialing” (IdMC).
The IdMC market has now matured to the point where large reference implementations are becoming more commonplace, industry standards are well developed and are being implemented, mandates from government and corporate policy/law makers are stipulating specific process and technical requirements, and convergence models are emerging across the enterprise that includes multi-application and multi-role support.
With these advancements, would-be customers are seeking a reduction in the cost, time and complexity (risk) of implementing IdMC solutions. These IdMC customers are now demanding end-to-end identity solutions that are pre-built and pre-integrated that can be quickly and easily customized to meet their particular needs.